Latest news with #Batangas
Mint
a day ago
- Health
- Mint
Want to recover fast from injury? Quit fizzy drinks and alcohol
When sporting heroes and celebrities do something, they inspire common folk to do the same. That's how 10-year-old Arjun Mehta gave up junk food two years ago after meeting his hero Sunil Chhetri, Indian football's highest goal scorer, at a football camp. 'I want to play football like Chhetri. When he told us at the camp that he doesn't eat junk food, I told my parents that I too wouldn't eat junk food anymore. It's been two years since I ate chips, Maggi, biscuits or other similar food," says Mehta, who plays football for his school team in Mumbai. Such behavioural changes inspired by a role model are backed up by plenty of research. Findings of a 2023 study, Celebrity Endorsements in Public Health Campaigns, revealed that exposure to celebrity-endorsed messages led to increased awareness and intention to engage in healthy behaviours. Also read: Want to counter cancer's side-effects? Get exercising Now, as the football season winds down and the English cricket season begins, many sports stars have publicly adopted healthier habits. The English Test cricket captain Ben Stokes recently said he had given up drinking in order to recover faster and more robustly from his hamstring injury. Elsewhere in the sporting world, Manchester United's Moroccan defender Noussair Mazraoui revealed that he has stopped consuming fizzy drinks and that it has made a huge difference to his energy levels and the way he feels. If one is to follow Stokes and Mazraoui, it's time to say goodbye to all the rum-colas, gin-tonics and vodka-lemonades... and it certainly means no more Batangas (tequila-cola-lime) at Soka in Bengaluru. This entire week, I have stayed inspired and abstained from both alcohol and fizzy drinks as I try to recover from a gluteus muscle pull that I sustained while performing kindergarten-level high knees. It is a good thing to follow Stokes and go off alcohol when trying to recover from an injury, medical and fitness experts assure me. One needn't even get into the widely known health risks of alcohol to know that it hampers athletic performance and recovery. Fiona Sampat, clinical dietitian at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai, says, 'Alcohol interferes with protein synthesis, a process by which the body builds and repairs muscle tissues. This may lead to reduced muscle growth and slower recovery after workouts or injuries. Also, alcohol hinders the absorption of various nutrients and may lead to malnutrition and nutrient deficiencies." For those recovering from an injury, alcohol intake suppresses the body's antioxidant defences which could increase inflammation and swelling at the site of injury by opening the blood vessels. It also interferes with the immune system, which leads to slower recovery and increases risk of infections. EMPTY CALORIES For Mazraoui, a small dietary change did wonders for his fitness and helped him make 55 appearances in top flight football. 'I'm not drinking sodas anymore. Fizzy drinks. It changes a lot, I think, because of the sugar, you don't get it in your body anymore. So just water makes a huge difference eventually," Mazraoui told news outlets recently, 'I know sugar is really bad for your body." Also read: How Indian distance runner Gulveer Singh trains for speed and endurance Fizzy drinks come packed with empty calories thanks to the large amounts of sugar they contain. So, cutting them out can help you avoid weight gain , explains Sampat. Additionally, she adds, 'excluding fizzy drinks from your diet helps improve overall fitness and athletic performance as it reduces the prevalence of fat accumulation leading to improved muscle mass." Reduced calorie intake also boosts the fat mass to lean mass ratio providing sustained and improved strength to weight performance. 'No fizzy drinks also means no sugar crashes which lead to fatigue, thereby, leading to better and sustained energy levels. Replacing fizzy drinks with water enhances thermoregulation, circulation, and athletic recovery," says Sampat. While the sales of fizzy drinks have consistently dropped over the last decade, sales of their diet and zero sugar versions have increased manifold. This is due to a widely held misconception that diet drinks have no sugar and are, therefore not harmful, observes Dr Sreenivasa D, consultant for gastroenterology at Manipal Hospital, Hebbal and Old Airport Road in Bengaluru. The zero sugar and diet alternatives of fizzy drinks use artificial sugar substitutes such as aspartame, which has been linked to various metabolic disorders. It also impacts the gut microbiome causing an imbalance between the good and bad bacteria leading to gastric discomfort such as bloating, nausea and diarrhoea. Artificial sweeteners trick your body into thinking sugar has been consumed. This causes insulin levels to rise, says Sreenivasa elaborating on how they harm the body. 'When insulin goes up, the liver responds by releasing more glucose and glycogen, which then gets stored as fat. This process contributes to increased obesity and leaky gut, a condition where the intestinal lining becomes more permeable allowing toxins to pass from the intestine into the bloodstream leading to disorders such as fatty liver disease and other liver-related problems." He follows this with a stern warning: 'Please do not believe that diet drinks are safe just because they are labelled 'zero calorie.' They are actually bad for your health." Stokes is a World Cup-winning all-rounder while Mazraoui is a football World Cup semi-finalist — both established and successful athletes. Now, you might not care for either Stokes or Mazraoui but there is no way anyone can deny their superior fitness levels and athleticism. So, if a 10-year-old Mehta can get the message when delivered by a sporting hero, what's stopping you, who is undoubtedly much older and more experienced, from following their lead? Shrenik Avlani is a writer and editor and the co-author of The Shivfit Way, a book on functional fitness. Also read: How to turn your home into a gym with just one kettlebell and 5 great workouts
Reuters
2 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Billionaire Razon to buy 60% stake in First Gen's gas assets for $896 million
June 2 (Reuters) - Prime Infra, the infrastructure business arm of Filipino businessman Enrique K. Razon Jr., is buying 60% of the gas assets of First Gen Corp ( opens new tab for 50 billion pesos ($896.44 million), the Philippine energy firm said on Monday. The parties have signed a term sheet, which shows another upcoming facility located in Batangas province, south of Manila, First Gen said in a statement. First Gen is backed by the influential Lopez family, who will retain a 40% stake in the gas business the company is selling. The Lopez family is also the controlling shareholder of ABS-CBN ( opens new tab, the country's largest broadcaster. The deal marks the latest in the Philippine energy sector, following a $3.3 billion gas and LNG joint venture unveiled by San Miguel Corp.( opens new tab with Aboitiz Power ( opens new tab and a unit of Manila Electric Co ( opens new tab. The stake sale will help First Gen go ahead with its plans to quadruple its renewable energy capacity in six years through 2030. ($1 = 55.7760 Philippine pesos)
Forbes
3 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Billionaire Enrique Razon To Buy 60% Stake In Lopez Group's Gas Assets For $896 Million
Prime Infrastructure—controlled by casino-to-ports billionaire Enrique Razon Jr.—has agreed to buy 60% of the gas assets of the Lopez family-backed First Gen for 50 billion pesos ($896 million). Under a term sheet entered into by both parties and subject to a definitive agreement, Prime Infra will buy the controlling stake in five existing gas-fired power plants and a sixth facility under construction with a combined capacity 3,247 megawatts, along with an offshore liquefied natural gas terminal, according to a document furnished to Forbes Asia. The assets are all located in Batangas province, south of Manila. The partnership will enable First Gen and Prime Infra to 'further nurture, enhance and expand their natural gas platforms,' helping to secure the country's energy independence, according to the document. The gas plants will boost the profile of Prime Infra, which owns a substantial stake in the Malampaya gas field. The company is investing $800 million on drilling and exploration to boost the output of Malampaya, which has been dwindling in recent years. Prime Infra's power assets include two existing solar farms with a combined capacity of 128MW and two hydroelectric plants, which will have a combined capacity of 2,000MW once completed. For First Gen, the partial sale will help bankroll the $9 billion it plans to invest to quadruple its renewable energy capacity to 13 gigawatts in the six years through 2030. First Gen derives 55% of its capacity from gas while the rest comes from wind, solar, hydro and geothermal. After spending about $1.2 billion in 2024, that included the purchase of the 165 MW Casecnan hydro power facility in Nueva Ecija, north of Manila, it has earmarked another $601 million in capital expenditures this year, with as much as 90% allocated for 140MW of geothermal capacity, while the rest will be spent on a 50MW solar project. The Razon-Lopez deal is the latest strategic partnership to shake up the Philippine energy sector following a $3.3 billion gas and LNG joint venture announced by billionaire Ramon Ang's San Miguel Corp. with Aboitiz Power and a unit the Manila Electric Co. With a real-time net worth of $12 billion, Razon also has interests in global port operator ICTSI and Bloomberry, which owns two casino resorts in Metro Manila. In 2022, he planned to list Prime Infra, which also provides water utility and waste management services, but decided to postpone the IPO due to unfavorable market conditions. Besides their interest in energy, the Lopez family, which has a net worth of $230 million, is also the controlling shareholder of ABS-CBN, once the country's largest broadcaster. It pivoted to online streaming and content sharing with other networks after Philippine lawmakers in 2020 rejected the media company's bid to renew its franchise.
Skift
07-05-2025
- Business
- Skift
Marriott to Manage First Autograph Collection Property in the Philippines
Macau welcomed 850,035 visitor arrivals during the five-day Labour Day holiday, an average of just over 170,000 visitors daily. Friday was the big day with 221,968 visitors entering Macau, a new single-day record since the pandemic and the highest since February 2019. The year-over-year increase was around 33%. The Macao Government Tourism Office had projected 700,000 total visitors, with 140,000 per day. CG Hospitality, controlled by Nepalese billionaire Binod Chaudhary, signed an agreement with Marriott International to convert its Philippine wellness center, The Farm at San Benito, into an Autograph Collection resort. The property is in Batangas province, south of Manila, and will be the first Autograph Collection resort managed by Marriott in the Philippines. It will open at the end of the third quarter and comes nine months after Chaudhary signed an agreement with Andrew Tan's Megaworld Corp to jointly build a $208 million township beside the existing wellness resort. Megaworld and CG Hospitality will build a low-density wellness community with residential condos, hotels, shops, and sports and leisure amenities across 25 hectares of greenery in Lipa City, 85 kilometers south of Manila. San Benito Private Estate will have access to The Farm at San Benito. Once converted to an Autograph Collection resort, The Farm at San Benito, which spans 52 hectares, will have 70 keys and feature one-bedroom villas and exclusive two and four-bedroom private pool villas. The rebranded resort will feature five restaurants, a swimming pool with a bar, a fitness center, a spa, and a medical wellness center. There will be 321 square meters of flexible meeting and event space. The Sydney Marriott Hotel Parramatta will form part of a large-scale mixed-use development on Church Street. It is the fifth Marriott Hotels & Resorts property in Australia and the second in Sydney. Marriott signed an agreement with property developer JQZ, which has commenced construction of the high-rise building that will also feature residential apartments and retail and commercial spaces. Sydney Marriott Hotel Parramatta marks Marriott Hotels' debut in Parramatta and will feature functions and meeting facilities, an M Club Lounge, restaurant, café, lobby lounge, rooftop swimming pool with pool bar, and a fitness center. The hotel is expected to open in mid-2027. Accor said it will strengthen its footprint in Australia and New Zealand by signing a significant portfolio of hotels with Bayview International Hotels & Resorts. The partnership will see Accor take over the management of three properties from this month – The 277-room Sydney Boulevard Hotel in East Sydney, 137-room Bayview Geographe Resort in Busselton, Western Australia, and 187-room Wairakei Resort Taupo in the North Island of New Zealand. The three properties will undergo extensive refurbishments before being relaunched under Accor brands, but until then, they will continue operating under their current names. Accor's Ennismore hotel group said they are doubling down on Australia this year, unveiling four flagship openings – 25Hours Olympia in Sydney; Mondrian Gold Coast; Hyde Perth; and Hyde Melbourne Place, which is a rebrand of Melbourne Place, which opened under this new name last week. Australia's first Mondrian hotel will open in June, steps from Burleigh Beach, with 208 rooms including 132 studios, 76 suites, private beach houses, and a penthouse. The hotel's Sky House sits on the 24th floor of the hotel with three bedrooms. There will also be a bio-wellness spa called Ciel, a 25-meter resort pool, and accompanying magnesium plunge pools. BGO Strategic Capital Partners and Hotel Capital Partners have purchased the Sydney Potts Point Central Apartment Hotel for $31.5 million. The deal, brokered by CBRE Hotels and comprising 73 individual lots, is the largest strata amalgamation deal in Australia since the pandemic. The hotel consists of 70 serviced apartments, a ground floor food and beverage outlet, rooftop public amenities with expansive views of Sydney's CBD, and was finalized this week. The new owners will transform the hotel, with plans to convert the building into co-living accommodation, managed by UKO, Australia's largest co-living operator. TUI-BLUE-Sihanoukville Hotel held its grand opening on May 5th. The hotel is located in the heart of downtown Sihanoukville in Cambodia and offers 200 five-star appointed rooms. The hotel is owned by Prince Real Estate Group, which appointed TUI Hotels & Resorts as manager. TUI said TUI Cruises, TUI Airlines, and TUI Travel will become a new bridge connecting Sihanoukville with world tourism development and better position it as a tourist destination. IHG Hotels & Resorts announced the signing of a management agreement with KS Propmart Private Limited, part of Devyansh Group, to bring a Crowne Plaza hotel to Gurugram Sector 85. The hotel is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2029. The Crowne Plaza Gurugram Sector 85 will offer 210 rooms, four diverse dining options including a specialty restaurant, an all-day dining restaurant, a lobby lounge, and a pool ba,r as well as seven versatile meetings and event spaces, including a ballroom. Amenities such as a Club Lounge, pool, fitness center, and spa will be offered, as well as 150 parking spaces and a dedicated retail section. OYO announced its foray into the food and beverage segment. They plan to roll out in-house kitchens and quick service restaurant carts at 1,500 of its company-serviced properties by fiscal 2026. The hotel company will first bring these services to the Townhouse by OYO brand. They piloted this at the beginning of the year across 100 hotels in several cities in India, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Gurugram. OYO said the feedback was positive. Guests will be able to order food through the OYO app and other booking platforms by selecting a 'Kitchen Services' option.
